Presently, there are several different modes of providing users with virtual experiences. In one mode, virtual reality (VR), a user's experience comes solely (or almost solely) from computer generated content. An example of a VR user device, is an Oculus Rift®, which provides a fully computer generated visual experience that appears to completely surround the user.
In another mode, augmented reality (AR), a user's experience is primarily from real world experiences, but those real-world experiences are overlaid with computer generated content, to “augment” the real experience. An example of an AR user device is the Microsoft HoloLens®, which presents the user computer generated images, but where the user can still see the real world.
Note that because AR can provide as much, or as little overlaid computer-generated content as a situation calls for, AR does not assume that the overlaid computer-generated content is via a three-dimensional (3-D) head display. A display may be two-dimensional (2-D). For example, Pokémon Go® is a video game played on a mobile phone, which overlays virtual “pocket monsters” to be captured via mobile phone mechanics.
In general, AR can emphasize the real world, such as in a fighter plane heads up display, or can provide an experience dominated by computer generated content. Accordingly, sometime virtual experiences that combine real world and computer-generated content are denoted by the general term, mixed reality (MR).
The different modes of virtual experiences have resulted in a plethora of user devices. However, computer applications where these user devices collaborate have the collaboration logic within the application itself rather than in a general collaboration platform.